Sunday, 17 April 2011

Transplanting seedlings and sowing more seeds.

I pricked out the winter cauliflowers into 3 inch pots using a soil less compost. They can grow on in 3 inch pots until they are about 15 to 18 inches tall. Their roots will have filled the pots by then and they will have to be put out. I transplanted the Golden Acre cabbages into 3 inch pots as well. The chamomile was planted this week and put into the propagator to get them to germinate. They are with the Florence fennel.

I also sowed some more rocket, radish, lambs lettuce and mizuna for summer salad. I know that they say to sow lambs lettuce for winter salad but I sow it all the year round. I am sowing these seeds in home made compost from the mega compost heap on the allotments. I have sieved the compost several times and it is now a very fine, friable compost. The only problem there will be with it is that it contains a lot of weed seeds.

The greenhouse needed a good watering because I have been away for two days and it had not been watered.

The Aintree runner bean, Cobra climbing French bean, the courgettes, some of the cucumbers, the maize, some of the squashes and the tomatoes have germinated fairly well and are growing on. I will transplant these into 3 inch pots when they get big enough.

The third sowing of lettuce has come through. I will transplant these into the small sectioned trays. They will not go out in the allotment until about May time.

The second sowing of leeks looks quite healthy. I will leave them in the pot until they get a little bigger. I might even transplant these straight into the allotment.

The only seed that has not germinated now is the dwarf French beans. I might get some straw for these because I hate dealing with mud splashed beans when it is very wet weather.

I have planted some walking stick cabbages to see how big I can grow them. I am not sure where I am going to put them but they are a bit of fun.

The onions grown from seed and the first sowing of lettuce are ready to go out into the allotment now. I must buy some beer for my beer traps.

The mange tout peas are growing well but they need to grow on for another couple of weeks before they can be put into the allotment.